To KNOW Him

There are two sides of the Cross, the substitutionary side, and the identificational side. I’m not going to write a lot about these here, other than saying that the substitutionary side most people don’t have a problem with. The identificational side though, that is quite another story…

On the identificational side of the Cross we are asked by the Lord to take up our cross and suffer with Him, to enter into His sufferings together. Why do you think it is that He asks us to suffer with Him in this way? It’s not just about sanctifying fire. No. It’s about love, about REALLY KNOWING Someone. I’ll put it to you this way…

When you suffer with someone a tremendous bond is formed which joins the hearts together. When you endure, and walk through and persevere and sustain calamity and crisis TOGETHER, a bond of DEEP loyalty and affection is formed between you, one that (as far as I know) can’t be formed in any other way. Also, consider with this that there is a big block of Jesus’ experience which we (the bride-elect) cannot connect with UNLESS we too experience very similar things WITH HIM.

Along these lines; the Apostle Paul wrote (in tears) to the Philippians about people in his day having become “enemies of the cross of Christ” (Philippians 3:18). I propose to you, beloved, that Paul was not writing about enemies of Christ, but about CHRISTIANS who cannot come to “KNOW” the Lord in the power of His resurrection because they still lovingly embrace the world in many ways and therefore do not find much fellowship with Him in His sufferings (Philippians 3:10).

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